


Meeting

by AutisticWriter



Series: Chibi-chan and Tooru-nii [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Ficlet, First Meetings, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Nicknames, Pre-Canon, Sweet, Volleyball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 12:52:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19229518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutisticWriter/pseuds/AutisticWriter
Summary: After volleyball practise, Tooru encounters a boy trying to play basketball by himself. The kid can’t throw to save his life, but his jumps are incredible. So Tooru introduces himself and introduces the boy, Hinata, to volleyball.





	Meeting

Ever since he turned nine, Tooru’s parents have let him walk home from volleyball practise by himself. He loves the longish walk back to his house after school, watching the world go by as he dawdles along, his school bag heavy against his back and his sweaty uniform sticking to his skin. Tooru often sees a lot of people, like groups of boys playing soccer in the park or people travelling home from work, but they never catch his eye.

Until the day he meets him.

The sound of a ball slamming against concrete makes Tooru’s ears prick up, and he turns his head. Are people playing volleyball nearby? He follows the sound, running across the park, through a patch of trees and into an area of wasteland. Of course; an abandoned block of flats stand here, waiting to be demolished. Tooru never hangs around here (his mother says that teenagers doing bad things are here at night), but he doesn’t leave.

His eyes focus on the boy. By the wall of the building stands a rusty old basketball hoop that must have stood here for years. And by the basketball hoop, a boy bounces a tattered soccer ball against the ground, staring up at the hoop. It towers over him (he’s seriously short), and the boy’s clothes drown him; they must be hand-me-downs. But what Tooru really notices is the boy’s shocking orange hair.

And then the boy takes a few steps backwards, bouncing the wall with each step – and then he pounces. With incredible speed, the boy jumps in the air, higher than any kid Tooru has ever seen, and he seems to fly as the ball leaves his hands and soars towards the hoop –

It doesn’t even hit the hoop and bounces to the ground. The boy lands, wobbling, and scuffs his feet in frustration.

“Whoa, you can jump high!” Tooru says, and the boy jumps.

Startled, he spins around, picking up the ball. “Wh-Who are you? I’ll leave if this is your place.”

“No, it’s fine. I was just passing by. You really can jump high for your age. How old are you? five?”

“I’m seven!” the boy yells defiantly, and Tooru grins. “I’m just… a bit short.”

“Anyway, you’ve got good moves. But you’re pretty bad at throwing.”

“Yeah… I’ve never gotten it through the hoop. Hey, do you play basketball?” the boy says, his eyes lighting up. “Do you have any tips?”

“Sorry, but I’m not a basketball player,” Tooru says, and the boy wilts. “But… hey, have you ever played volleyball?”

The boy tilts his head. “Volleyball?”

“Yeah, ‘cause someone like you would be perfect. You don’t need to throw the ball to score; you just need to run fast, jump high and smack it over the net.”

“Really?” he says. “Show me! Show me!”

Tooru grins, flicking his hair out of his eyes. “Sure thing. Hey, will you throw that ball up in the air, like this?” he says, taking the ball and tossing it into the air in a slow arc.

“Oh, okay,” the boy says. “Get ready.”

He tosses the ball in the air, and Tooru imagines a setter just sent it in his direction, and he’s got to score this point…

Tooru dashes forwards, jumps in the air, and his palm connects with the ball. It smacks to the ground, and the boy grins.

“That was awesome!” he yells, grabbing the ball. “You’re so cool!”

Trying not to let the praise go to his head, Tooru smiles. “Thanks. Spiking the ball like that isn’t my main role on my team, but I can do it pretty well.”

“Spiking?” the boy says. “I wanna spike.”

“Okay, okay,” Tooru says, and looking at this shrimp of a kid gives his nickname-obsessed brain an idea. “Patience, Chibi-chan.”

The boy’s eyes widen, before settling into a determined frown. “Hey! I may be short, but I’m fast. Just watch.”

Tooru shakes his head fondly, takes the ball and lets it float through the air. The boy takes a running jump, swings his arm and… misses.

“Huh?” he says. “What happened?”

“You need to time it. Try again, but look at the ball and really focus this time.”

He throws the ball again, watching it reach the peak of the toss and start to fall to the ground, and the boy tracks it too, breaking into his fast dash, flying through the air and… He swings his arm and his fingers graze the ball, sending it in the wrong direction.

“Hey, you touched it that time!” Tooru says. “Well done, Chibi-chan.”

The boy smiles, proud of himself, but still glares at the nickname. “I have a name you know. It’s Hinata Shouyou.”

“Oh, well I’m Oikawa Tooru. Pleased to meet you, Chibi—”

“Hey!” Hinata says, and Tooru bursts out laughing. “But… nice to meet you, Oikawa-san.”

“Just call me Tooru. I suppose I could call you… Shou-kun?”

Hinata grins. “I like that! Hey, Tooru, can you teach me more about volleyball? It’s fun.”

“Sure. And… just from the way you jump, I think you could get really good. But… not today. I need to get home.”

“Well, wanna meet up this time tomorrow?” Hinata asks, and Tooru wonders if this kid has any friends or anything fun to do.

Tooru grins, loving the thought of teaching someone his favourite sport, and ruffles Hinata’s hair. “Sounds like a plan.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you want me to write you a short fic, drop in a prompt at my [personal prompt meme](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/AutisticWriters_Personal_Prompt_Meme)!


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